FRONT PAGE - here you will find the last 20 postings about recent conversations. Please pray for these people!

Conversation Starter

9/19/14           Ezekiel            14
As Christians we want to share the hope within us, but we often don’t know how to start the conversation.  It is hard enough with people we know and love, but what about the stranger on the street or a fellow shopper in a store whom we aren't sure what we have in common with?  I’m not too proud to admit I need an excuse or a “crutch” to start a conversation, and I often use interesting Gospel tracts as conversation starters.  Here’s how a recent exchange began with a young man who was browsing in the DVD aisles at a Target store:  I gave  him a “Trillion Dollar” gospel tract and he laughed in surprise but politely refused to take it.  I wondered why so I asked “If this really was a trillion dollars, do you think you would deserve it?”  He – Ezekiel – laughed and said he would not.  I continued – “What this is is a Gospel tract, which means it tells about how we can be in a right relationship with God and be with Him forever in heaven.  So what do you think would be more valuable – a trillion dollars or being in heaven forever?” “Heaven of course”  “So in the same way, do you think you would deserve heaven?”  This led to a longer conversation about the Gospel and how it is Jesus – not our good deeds – that is our hope for salvation and the only basis on which we might be forgiven.  Ezekiel was just a teenager and quieter than most people I talk to and I began to wonder if he was comprehending what I was saying when suddenly he responded “These are good questions.  I often close the door to my room and just sit there and think about them.  This helps a lot.”   I hope it does.  I hope he will receive the gift of salvation that is Jesus even though none of us deserve Him.

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